The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-30
EGYPi'S GREAT MYSTERY
THE SPHINX THAT WAS RE-
CEN lily DISIN TERED.
The Surroundings aud Inscriptions
That are Just Now PuZZling
tue Sayants.

I
tue savants.
LONDON, January 29.-The Times
reviewing recent work in Egypt,
says The last occasion on which
the Great Sphinx was cleared down
to the level on which the paws rest
was in honor of the opening of the
Suez canal in 1869. The ever DRIFT
ing sands had, however, reburied it
almost to the throat when Prot.
Maspero, during his last year of
office at Boulak, began again the
work of disbursement. This work
has now been going on, somewhat
intermittently, for more than twelve
months, and is at the present time
in active progress under the direc-
ton of Prot. Maspero's successor,
M. Grebaut. A tramway has been
laid down from the Sphinx to the
edge of the Pyramid plateau, pass
ing close under the west face of the
granite building popularity, though
Incorrectly, called the Temple of the
Sphinx. Along this tramway light
trucks convey the sand to the point
at which their contents are dis
charged, the trucks being loaded by
Arabs of both sexes aud all ages, who
carry the sand upon their heads
in large fiat baskets, ascend
ing and descending all day long from
the excavations below to the tram
way above, aud vice versa. The
means look curiously inadequate, but
the resultsare astonishing. Already
the entire fore part of the great
stone monster is laid bare, and al
ready the huge chest, the paws, the
space between the paws, the altar in
front Of them and the platform upon
which they rest are once more open
10 the light of day. Nor is this all.
Between the Sphinx and the edge of
the Pyramid plateau vast space has
also been cleared, thus bringing to
view a fise flight OF steps some forty
feet in width. These steps, which
are described by Phny, were uncov-
cred by Caviglia in 1917, but have
been entirely lost to sight for nearly
seventy years. A second flight of
steps and the remains of two Roman
buildings we're also found by Cavig-
liza, and will again be brought to
light if M. Grebaut continues the
work in this direction.
TO the right of the Sphinx-that
is to say, in the direction of the
granite temple to the Southwark
further excavation is in progress, the
result of which will probably con-
firm the surmises Of those who be-
lieve the Sphinx to stand in the
midst of a huge artificial amphi-
theater hewn out of the solid rock.
This gigantic work would course
be contemporaneous with the Sphinx
itself, which Mariette accredited to
the mythic ages before the advent of
Mera, the first King of the first dy-
nasty, and which Maspero considers
to be, if not actually prehistoric, at
all events the Oldest monument in
Egypt.
From the level of the area below
the great fight of steps (Which lead
down, and not up, to the Sphinx one
now measures the whole hight of the
huge human headed monst r, whose
battered countenance stands out
against the cloudle,s sky 100 feet
above. The space between the
paws is thirty-fve feet long and ten
feet wide. This space was anciently
converted into small sanctuary
lined with votive tablets, only one of
which-the famous stella of Thoth-
mes IV-yet remains in stu. This
stella records how the King, when
upon one Of his hunting expeditions,
lay down to rest at midday in the
shadow of the Sphinx. He there
fell asleep, and dreamed dream in
which the venerable image conjured
him to clear away the sand in which
it was nearly buried. Then the
Prince awoke and made silence in
his heart" and vowed to do that
which the god had commanded. The
lower part of the tablet is obliterat-
ed, and Mr.. w. M. Flinders Petrie,
who visited the spot about fort
night ago, reports that an impor-
tant part OF the fourteenth line,
containing the name Of Khafra
(Chephren) has scaled off since the
last time the inscription was copied.
The tablet stands fourteen feet high,
and is cut from a block of the same
red granite Of Assouan, whereof the
neighbOring Temple of Khafra is
built. There seems, according to
Mr.. Petrie's report, to be very good
reason for concluding that the pious
Thothmes, Notwithstanding his re-
spect for the memory Of Khafra,
actually pilfered this very block from
Khafra's own temple, for in the back
of it there are pivot holes, or rather
"holes for letting in pivot blocks"
precisely similar to the pivot holes
which are to be seen in the Intel
stones and door stills of that build
ing The granite altar between the
paws is Of the same syenite, aud most |
probably came from the same con
venient quarry. The last, however,
is Of Roman work, very roughly exc
cuted.
The paws Of the Sphinx, as they |
now appear, are restoration of |
Roman date, being cased in com
paratively small slabs, and to some
extent hollow underneath. The |
breast of the Sphinx has likewise
been faced with slabs, apparently in
Roman times; and these slabs have
again been repaired by cutting away
the weathered surface and inserting
fresh facing. Like the legs OF the
Colossi of the Plain, and those of
the great statues Of AboO Samuel,